BMW Welt

The BMW Welt (BMW World) in Munich, designed by Vienna Professor Wolf D. Prix and Coop Himmelb(l)au, makes us marvel in direct proximity to the BMW tower.

Whatever you read about the BMW WeltMunich, no comment seems to be able to do without any poetically-sounding expressions of fascination. “The roof is so huge it could span St Mark’s Square in Venice,“ architect Prof. Wolf D. Prix raves over the building in Focus magazine. Others talk about “sky dreams“, and journalist Gerhard Matzig even calls this impressive building a “three-dimensionally experienceable theatrical thunder” in the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. The architects themselves try to stand out from profane everyday constructions even through their moony name Coop Himmelb(l)au (pun consisting of “blue as the sky” and “sky building”, the only difference being the letter “l”). The outcome of the last daydreams was a nearly 73,000 m² large hall, 180 meters long, 130 meters wide and 24 meters high. A 100 million Euro juggernaut, the most characterizing elements of which and what gave the name is a double cone, collecting the roof consisting of two layers of beam grids – similar to a hurricane of steel and glass: elegant, dynamic, ground-breaking. Efficient Dynamics. Hardly any walls of the building go straight down, nothing is immobile, there’s flowing movement anywhere.

A multi-functional Stage

The complex is divided into various areas: double cone and forum provide room for all kinds of events. The restaurant tower is show room, sales and experiental area all at the same time. The lounge is only for the proud ones collecting their new cars and provides possibilities for retreat. The center houses the premiere area, a gigantic ramp on which the customer gets handed over his new object of desire, quite often observed by envious visitors. The world is a stage, and the BMW Welt is totally dedicated to using it for performances. Like in a gigantic nest, everything is connected with everything through roads and bridges to form the big picture. Here, it’s not about the mere act of buying, but about sensing, feeling, perceiving. The car, crowned man’s best friend by car-lovers – freed from its mere existence as a product of consumption – turns into an unparalleled experience.